rare pediatric diseases

A congressional fact of life is the dangerous “Christmas tree” bill, which passes with so much on it that many things don’t get the scrutiny they deserve. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2016, is such a bill.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) practically pleaded with Congress not to renew a 4-year-old program to give special voucher incentives to companies that develop drugs for rare pediatric diseases, saying it skews the agency’s work away from other priorities.